The 20 Hunchakian gallows facts for kids

The 20 Hunchakian Martyrs (also known as Ksan Gakhaghan or "The 20s") were a group of brave activists from the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party. They were sadly hanged in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) on June 15, 1915. This event happened during a very difficult time for the Armenian people.

What Happened to the Hunchakians?

A Special Meeting in 1913

In 1913, the Hunchakian Party held a very important meeting. This meeting was called the 7th General Convention. It took place in Constanţa, Romania. The people at the meeting were very worried about the Ittihad (Young Turk) government. This government ruled the Ottoman Empire at the time.

The Hunchaks saw that the Young Turk government did not care about Armenian lives. They feared things would get worse for Armenians. The Hunchaks also strongly believed in a free and independent Armenia. They knew this could not happen under the Young Turk government. This government was known for being unfair and dictatorial.

A Secret Plan Revealed

After their meeting, the Hunchakian Party decided on two main goals:

• First, they would work in secret again. They had to become a hidden group to protect themselves.
• Second, they planned to stop the leaders of the Young Turk party. These were the same leaders who had caused the terrible events in Adana in 1909. The Hunchaks believed these leaders were planning more harm against the Armenian people.

Sadly, these secret plans were told to the Turkish government. An Armenian agent working for the government shared the information. Because of this, many Hunchak leaders were arrested. As soon as they arrived in Constantinople, they were put in jail. By the end of that year, about 140 Hunchak leaders were arrested.

The Sad Day

These brave Hunchakian leaders spent two years in Turkish prisons. The conditions were very bad. They also had long trials that were not fair. In the end, twenty important Hunchakian figures were sentenced to death. Among them were Paramaz, Dr. Benne, Aram Ach'ekbashian, and Vanig.

A few weeks after the start of the Armenian Genocide, on June 15, 1915, all twenty men were hanged. This happened in the main square of Constantinople, called Sultan Bayazid Square. Before he was hanged, Paramaz spoke his last words. He said, "You can only hang our bodies, but not our ideas. ...You will see tomorrow on the Eastern horizon a Socialist Armenia."

Since that day, the Twenty Martyrs have inspired many young Armenians. Their courage has been remembered around the world. In 2001, a monument was built in Meghri town, Armenia. It honors Paramaz and his 19 Hunchakian friends.

Who Were the Hunchakian Martyrs?

Here is a list of the Hunchakian activists who were hanged:

• Paramaz
• Dr. Benne (Bedros Torosian, from Kharpert)
• Aram Achekbashian (Krikor Garabedian, from Arabkir)
• Kegham Vanig (from Van), who helped edit a youth magazine called "Gaidz"
• Mourad Zakarian (from Mush)
• Yervant Topuzian, a worker
• Hagop Basmajian
• Smpat Keljian
• Roupen Garabedian
• Armenag Hampartsoumian
• Apraham Mouradian
• Hrand Yegavian
• Karnig Boyajian
• Hovhannes Yeghiazarian
• Mgrdich Yeretsian
• Yerevia Manoukian
• Tovmas Tovmasian
• Karekin Boghosian
• Minas Keshishian
• Boghos Boghosian

Two other important Hunchakian activists, Stepan Sabah-Goulian and Varaztahd, were also sentenced to death. However, they were not present at the time.